Shopping Online: No Shoving, But A Little More Phishing

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While total retail sales may still be down, online shopping is expected to rebound for 2009.

On this week's All Tech Considered, we talk tips for holiday online shopping, what's high on people's consumer electronics wish lists and touch on safe Web transactions. Hot this year? E-book readers, HDTVs and devices to connect to them and smart phones. Cooling off from last year? Digital picture frames and GPS units, which have an uncertain future in the age of built-in GPS features on smartphones.

Here's more info related to the segment:

• I wrote three (three!) holiday tech gift guides this year, one for the Austin American-Statesman, one featuring pop culture-related gifts for Television Without Pity and a third, published Saturday in the Statesman, on video games. I also spoke on the subject on At Issue With Ben Merens and on Age of Lasers: Episode 005 with David T. Cole (warning: contains NSFW language) if you want to hear a few longer conversations on the topic.
  
• Scott Steinberg, a video blog host and writer, offered up some advice to me for this segment. You can check out another gift guide on his site, Digital Trends.
  
• We talked briefly about the Google phone, called the Nexus One. You can hear more about all the rumors and news on The Two-Way.
  
• Holiday online sales have already hit $19.9 billion and today could be the most profitable online shopping day of the year, according to ComScore.
  
• Some online shopping tips from the Better Business Bureau.
  
• Two hot shopping trends this year, according to Google? Marshmallow Shooter, Ultimate Ears and Snuggie.